Finding The Meaning Of Friend
by Galadriadhar
Summary: It's Dimentio's first Thanksgiving, and he'll have to participate in the Count's 'Gratefulness Circle.' But this simple tradition will lead to one of the greatest discoveries of Dimentio's life.


Mimi and Nastasia were working in the kitchen of Castle Bleck. Mimi stirred the contents of a pot with a wooden spoon, occasionally taking a taste to make sure it was on the way to being completed. Nastasia poured a sauce over a plump turkey sitting in a metal roasting pan. A pot of gravy simmered on a back burner of the stove. All in all, a very peaceful place.

The door to the kitchen opened, and Dimentio entered, walking like a zombie, mouth hanging open, deeply sniffing. Mimi and Nastasia looked over to see who was there, and then they turned back to their work.

"What's up, Dimmy?" Mimi asked. Dimentio was so enamored by something that he didn't get on her case for calling him that.

"Delicious smells," he droned. "Delicious." Nastasia shook her head in despair, then grabbed some valerian root and waved it under Dimentio's nose. The smell hit him, and he jerked back violently. He glanced around, and saw the valerian root.

"What do you have such an atrocious thing here in the kitchen for?" Dimentio asked, an accusatory inflection in his voice.

"For occasions such as this. Why don't you go set the table or something, 'k?" Nastasia said.

"What for?" Dimentio questioned, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and going to the refrigerator. He pulled out a bottle of unsweetened grapefruit juice and unscrewed the top. Pouring some juice into the glass, he repeated his question. "What for?"

Mimi had by then turned back to the pot she was tending. She dipped a spoon into the mixture and tasted it. As she mulled over the taste, she responded to Dimentio's question. "Silly. You need to set it for Thanksgiving dinner."

Dimentio turned back to the duo at the stove, drinking the grapefruit juice. When he had finished his pull, he asked another question, one that shocked the chefs.

"What is this 'Thanksgiving' that you speak of?" Mimi dropped her stirring spoon into the pot and had to fish it out. Nastasia spilled some sauce on the stove top.

"You mean you haven't heard of Thanksgiving?" Nastasia asked, astonishment evident in her voice.

"No, I haven't. Should I have?" Dimentio took another chug of grapefruit juice.

"Yes! It's the day that the Rebellion defeated the evil Empire of Dimensions," Nastasia explained.

"Hmm. Never heard of the Rebellion or the Empire of Dimensions. Was it known as ED for short?"

"Yeah," Mimi said, finally having gotten the spoon out of the pot.

"Then I have heard of it. Why was it such a big occasion that the Rebellion beat ED?"

"Oh, Dimentio, stop being so... you, 'k? Just please set the table," Nastasia told Dimentio.

"As you wish." Dimentio bowed and went to the drawers for the silverware.

"Dinnertime!" Mimi yelled as she put the pot of yams she had been working with on the table. Dimentio put the last glass on the table, and sat in his appointed place. Mr L came through the door and hunted around for his place, finally sitting in the chair with his name on it. Count Bleck appeared next, looking over the spread on the table and smiling broadly, Tippi flapping in behind him. He sat down at the head of the table and put his staff next to him, floating on air. Tippi alighted on the table next to him, and they began conversing quietly. Finally, O'Chunks made his entrance, hitting his head on the lintel of the doorway. Nastasia quickly grabbed him before he sat down and enlisted him in the carrying of the turkey to the table. O'Chunks set the turkey pan on the table carefully, burnt his finger, and jammed it into his mouth so he could suck on it. He eventually sat down with an ice cube on his damaged finger. Mimi sat as well, and Nastasia grabbed a pot of mashed potatoes and set it on the table before sitting in her place.

Count Bleck stopped talking with Tippi, stood, and looked around at the assembled congregation. He smiled jovially, quite unlike his normally serious self. He held out his arms to the minions. "My minions," Count Bleck said. "Please be thankful, and, as our beloved Mr L might say, 'Dig in!'"

The minions went to it with a will. Dimentio used his magic to rip a slice of meat out of the breast of the turkey and levitate it over to his plate. Mimi scooped out a big serving of yams and plopped it onto her dish. O'Chunks pulled the mashed potatoes toward him and dished himself a large portion, then he doused the potatoes in gravy. Mr L grabbed a couple of rolls and buttered them. Count Bleck sat down and spooned up some green beans. Nastasia waited for everyone to start, then she took some olives and, in a manner very much unlike her, put them over her fingers and ate them off. Tippi, being a Pixl, didn't eat, but watched and talked some more with the Count.

The rush lasted for a while, everybody except Nastasia, Count Bleck, and Dimentio trying to cram as much food as they could into their mouths. Nastasia took a moment to warn the assembly that there was pie still, and the rush slowed down.

Count Bleck finally pushed his plate away, and the minions, seeing this, pushed their plates away as well for a temporary respite. "My good minions, it is Thanksgiving. Now that we have stuffed ourselves for a time, we must rest to let our stomachs settle. And while we let them rest, we will have our annual Gratefulness Circle. I will start."

Dimentio rolled his eyes at the name, but listened intently anyway. He had never participated in one of the Count's Gratefulness Circles, always having been on personal missions when the time came around. He had always been searching for Mereliah, knowing that she would be indoors around this time of season. That would make it easier for him to find her. But he had given up all hope of ever seeing Mereliah again. This thought invaded his mind, and he felt guilty for not searching harder. While this was going through his head, Count Bleck had been speaking.

"I am thankful for this wonderful meal, prepared by Nastasia and Mimi. I am thankful for my wonderful wife Tippi, and the life we share together. I am also thankful for each one of you and your talents we have used in trying to make the dimensions better." Count Bleck smiled. "Tippi, would you like to go next?"

"Sure," Tippi said, fluttering her wings slightly. "Hmm. Well, I'm thankful that my husband has stopped trying to destroy all worlds. I'm also thankful that I didn't die, like my husband thought." Count Bleck murmured something that nobody caught except Tippi. "Well, it's true!" Tippi exclaimed. Count Bleck blushed and shushed Tippi. Mr L was next.

"Well, I'm grateful that I was able to come to Castle Bleck for Thanksgiving, since my bro isn't home right now. I'm also grateful for the delicious rolls Mimi and Nastasia made. That's it."

O'Chunks looked around and wiped his eyes. Anyone could have seen that he was crying. He would have firmly denied it, though. "Well, Ah'm thankful fur all of ye, an', an', tha's it." He broke down crying, and put his hand over his face.

Mimi patted O'Chunks on the back, then cleared her throat. "I'm thankful for rubees, and my diary, and my friends Nassy, Chunkie, and Dimmy, and I'm grateful for chuckola cola, and I'm grateful for the Count and Tippi and..."

Mimi went on like that for a few minutes, then Count Bleck cleared his throat. Mimi stopped and looked at him. He pulled a finger across his throat, and Mimi nodded.

"I am thankful for all the good this organization has done since it's inception. I am also eternally grateful for the Count and all he has done for me," Nastasia said.

She looked to Dimentio, who felt a slight bit of shock that it was already his turn. He had been preoccupied with thoughts of Mereliah. Chasing those thoughts away, he quickly tried to think of something to be thankful for. It was a bit harder than he thought, and he stayed quiet for a minute. Then, he came up with one thing. Just one thought, that made his heart grow. Just one thought, and he started understanding.

Dimentio realized that everyone was looking at him, so he cleared his throat. "Hmm hmm. I'm thankful for the friendship of all of you. It means a lot to me." He finally understood how good he had it. Finally, he understood what happened back when Mimi had asked him if he was her friend. Finally, he understood the term 'friend.' He understood that what the others did for him was not out of pity, but out of genuine friendship. And for that, he was truly thankful.

A/N: Here I am! Sorry about not updating. I haven't been able to think of anything to write. And, it's true, I did say that I was doing NaNoWriMo. That's not entirely accurate. I stopped about the third day because I was having health issues. Anyway, sorry for the delay in writing, but I really hope you will forgive me for not writing for a while and not telling you that I stopped NaNo. Sorry! Hope this makes up for it.

Note: This is set in The Great Allie's 'The Count's World.' And I have asked, and she is fine with me using her universe. In fact, she was happy to have someone do it. So no worries.


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